Microsoft fuels console war with Halo 3 claim

Has sold more than a bunch of PS3 games combined.

With monster trade show E3 right around the corner, gamers are bracing themselves for an onslaught of willy waving from Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo during their high-profile press conferences.

Microsoft, however, has thrown the first punch, and it's thrown it early.

In a tweet, Xbox product director Aaron Greenberg told the internet-browsing world just how much more successful 360 exclusive sci-fi shooter Halo 3 is than the big hitters on PS3.

"Just in from research team (NPD): Halo 3 has outsold Resistance 1 + 2, Uncharted 1+2, Killzone 2 and God of War III COMBINED....wow", he said.

Greenberg's not wrong, of course. Halo 3 was a phenomenally successful game. First day sales reached $170 million in the US, setting a record for highest gross of an entertainment product within 24 hours of release. On January 3 2008 Microsoft announced that Halo 3 had sold 8.1 million copies.

Still, Greenberg's comments are sure to get PS3 fanboys' knickers in a twist. The 'my willy's bigger than yours etc' has begun. Expect more from E3 next week.

Plus, Halo was out in 2007, Uncharted 2, Killzone 2, were out in 2009 and God of War 3 out earlier this year.

Also, The Ocarina of Time, the highest metacritic rated game of all time, has 'only' sold 7.4 million, yet Halo has sold more than that. So with that in mind, I don't understand what Microsoft are getting at.